Licorice Gourami (advice/experiences)

Since Thursday I've acquired 5 licorice gourami for my 15 gallon tank (HOME to 1 sparkling gourami and some shrimp), I've had no experience and can't find a lot of info online.

I've provided them with lots of hiding places, added almond leaves to colour the water, and I have live food to offer them.

What I'm concerned about is that thei4 colours have been very dark, not in breeding dress just very dark so that you can't see their stripe at all. Everyone looks like this. Do females colour up into a black too? Or does this mean I have all males and everyone is stressed out?

Any advice on their care and shared experiences would be a huge help.

Here's a photo of my tank.

 

Giving this a bump up for you hope you get some responses today

 

The pictures you have are not of licorice gouramis? That is a sparkling gourami and a blue shrimp.
They should display the "candy" stripes at all times and go pale, not dark in my experience. They should display the stripes all the time (if they are licorice gouramis), they need softer water and like lots of moss and leaf litter to hide in. Mine were fairly friendly after a while towards me before their passing (I had three of them, mixed sexes). Males will have color in their fins, females will not.

 

I'm aware, those are just the other residents in my tank, or they were.
Since then I've added a lot more driftwood and leaves to bring down ph, so it's on my suitable for my gourami.
I very rarely see my licorice gourami so I can't get photos.

 

I have kept and bred licorice gouramies before. The PH is unlikely to go down much unless your water is very soft (think distilled/rain/RO water), and doing so would likely kill the shrimp and maybe the sparkling gourami. My licorice gouramies were at a PH in the 4's and thrived and bred in that.

 

I don't believe 15 gallons will be sufficient for one gourami let alone 6 and shrimp as well. I kept a dwarf gourami, who are smaller at adult size than yours and he was unhappy in my 25 gallon.

 

I don't believe 15 gallons will be sufficient for one gourami let alone 6 and shrimp as well. I kept a dwarf gourami, who are smaller at adult size than yours and he was unhappy in my 25 gallon.

Licorice gourami often don't get bigger than 1.5 inches, dwarf gourami can get to 3 inches.

 

I don't believe 15 gallons will be sufficient for one gourami let alone 6 and shrimp as well. I kept a dwarf gourami, who are smaller at adult size than yours and he was unhappy in my 25 gallon.

Dwarf gouramies are FAR larger than licorice gouramies, both in length and in girth. My Parosphromenus 'bintan' licorice gouramies were in a group in a 5 gallon and thrived and bred in there.

 

Dwarf gouramies are FAR larger than licorice gouramies, both in length and in girth. My Parosphromenus 'bintan' licorice gouramies were in a group in a 5 gallon and thrived and bred in there.

Licorice gourami often don't get bigger than 1.5 inches, dwarf gourami can get to 3 inches.

I'm sorry I'm sorry that was my fault there, I meant dwarf gourami are smaller in reference to the 'sparkling gourami' but I had also been confusing sparkling gourami for pearl gourami

 

I have kept and bred licorice gouramies before. The PH is unlikely to go down much unless your water is very soft (think distilled/rain/RO water), and doing so would likely kill the shrimp and maybe the sparkling gourami. My licorice gouramies were at a PH in the 4's and thrived and bred in that.

Since I posted I've moved everyone into our cherry tank besides my gourami, I'm now gradually bringing down ph with almond leaves and driftwood and am waiting on an acid buffer from seachem, will use distilled water for my changes from now on.
Thanks for help.

 

Thanks for the help everyone, the ph is going down gradually and after losing 3 lg to a fungal infection I've been treating since Tuesday things seem to be looking up. I've noticed what seems to be a male and a female spending a lot of time together amongst the driftwood. Hopefully this is a good sign, thanks for all you're help x